Contrary to popular belief, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not exactly getting favored by the referees so far this season. After 40 free throw attempts in the first two games, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard has never had more than four in their recent games against the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, and Sacramento Kings.
Despite the dramatic drop-off in free throw attempts, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault sees no issue in this.
“It’s five games into the season. It’s early in the year for every team. It’s early in the year for the officiating,” Daigneault said via ClutchPoints’ Josue Pavon. “We need to get better right now — that’s what we need to focus on. We need to focus on what we can control. That’s how you get better.”
“And we can’t control how they call the game. So, when we go in, we try to calibrate it as best we can and adjust to the whistle. If there’s a trend that stacks up over the course of games, I might be more apt to say something. But, it’s very early, and we have a lot that we need to address. So, we’re not trying to grade out the officiating at this point,” he added.
Oklahoma City Thunder News: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander commends second-year guard for stepping up
With Jalen Williams yet to play a game this season due to injury, Ajay Mitchell has emerged as the Oklahoma City Thunder’s newest successful project. The 23-year-old combo guard is averaging 18.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 47.5 percent shooting from the field this season.
Credit: Gerald Leong/AP Photo
“Usually the more tools you have, the better off you are,” Gilgeous-Alexander said about Mitchell via Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press. “And I think he has so many tools that it doesn’t really matter what you do out there (against him). He’s just showing the world that game by game. You can plug him in anywhere in any lineup.”
“He had to work for everything; he had to fight through some things. He maintained his competitiveness and his confidence despite that. And that’s going to be important because if he’s going to play well, then teams are going to make adjustments and they’re going to come at him,” Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault added.
